1. Field
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator having an ice dispenser and a delay mechanism for delaying the closing of an ice duct of the ice dispenser.
2. Background
In general, a refrigerator is a device having a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber which are maintained at predetermined low temperatures. The refrigerator uses a refrigerating cycle device with a refrigerant, including a compressor, a condenser, an expander, and an evaporator.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional refrigerator with a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber opened. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator includes a refrigerating chamber F and a freezing chamber R, which are separated by a barrier 1. A refrigerating cycle device for keeping the refrigerating chamber F and the freezing chamber R at low temperatures is installed within the main body 2. A refrigerating chamber door 6 is coupled to the main body 2 for opening and closing the refrigerating chamber F, and a freezing chamber door 4 is coupled to the main body 2 for opening and closing the freezing chamber R.
The refrigerating cycle device typically includes a compressor for compressing a low temperature and low pressure gas refrigerant, a condenser for condensing the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant by radiating the heat of the compressed refrigerant through external air, an expander for reducing the pressure of the condensed refrigerant from the condenser, and an evaporator for absorbing the heat from air circulating around the refrigerating chamber F and/or the freezing chamber R using the expanded refrigerant.
An automatic ice maker is often mounted in the freezing chamber of the refrigerator. The automatic ice maker automatically makes ice cubes using cool air in the freezing chamber F. An ice dispenser in the freezing chamber door 4 can be used to automatically output the ice cubes in response to a user's operation.
The automatic ice maker typically includes an ice making unit 8 for freezing water to make ice cubes using cool air in the freezing chamber F. An ice bank 9 is used to store ice cubes produced in the ice making unit 8. The ice bank 9 includes a conveying member for dispensing ice cubes from the ice bank 9, and a motor 10 for rotating the conveying member. The freezing chamber door 4 includes a dispenser (not shown) for dispensing ice cubes, and for also dispensing water from a water supply (not shown).
The freezing chamber door 4 includes an ice duct 12 which guides ice cubes dispensed from the ice bank 9 to the user outside the door 4. An ice duct opening and closing unit 13 is used for opening and closing the ice duct 12.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ice duct opening and closing unit of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the elements of the automatic ice maker shown in FIG. 1.
The ice duct opening and closing unit 13 shown in FIG. 2 includes a duct cap 21 disposed to open and close the ice duct 12. A lever 22 is operated by a user to cause the duct cap 21 to selectively open and close. A micro switch 23 is turned on/off by the lever 22. A rotating shaft 24 is disposed to rotate the duct cap 21. A solenoid 25 is used to cause the rotating shaft 24 to rotate the duct cap 21 to a position that opens the ice duct 12 or to a position that closes the ice duct 12. A spring 26 is disposed to elastically bias the rotating shaft 24 and the duct cap 24 to the closed position. The refrigerator further includes a controller 30 for operating the motor 10 and the solenoid 24 in response to the input of the micro switch 23.
Hereinafter, the operation of outputting ice cubes of the conventional refrigerator will be described.
When a user pushes the lever 22, that is, a user applies force to the lever 22, the movement of the lever 22 turns the micro switch 23 on. The signal from the microswitch 23 causes the controller 30 to drive the solenoid 25 and the motor of the ice bank 9. The solenoid 25 rotates the rotating shaft 25, and the rotating shaft 25 rotates the duct cap 21, thereby opening the ice duct 12. When the motor 10 of the ice bank 9 is driven, the ice bank 9 outputs ice cubes, and the outputted ice cubes are dropped into the ice duct 12. The dropped ice cubes are outputted by the dispenser through the opened ice duct 12.
When the user releases the lever 22, that is, the user removes the force applied to the lever 22, reverse movement of the lever 22 turns off the micro switch 23. In response, the controller 30 stops the motor of the ice bank so that ice cubes are no longer removed from the ice bank. The controller will also cause the solenoid 25 to move back to its original position, but only after a predetermined period of time, for example, four seconds, has elapsed. In other words, the controller does not instantly move the solenoid back to the original position. The delay allows any ice cubes that have been removed from the ice bank to fall out of the ice duct before the duct cap closes the ice duct.
When the solenoid 25 moves back to its original position, the spring 26 rotates the rotating shaft 24, and the attached duct cap 21, back to the closed position, thereby closing the ice duct 12.
The conventional refrigerator includes the solenoid 25 for closing the duct cap after delaying it for a predetermined time as described above. The solenoid, however, increases the cost of the conventional refrigerator, and the solenoid generates noise when it operates.